"The Harbors We Seek," the third album by Kent-based band the Speedbumps, is one of those records you could play early in the morning or late at night, on a sunny afternoon or a snowy, gray one.

Warm, easygoing, understated and honest, it just feels good. It flows and grooves.

Erik Urycki, the band's vocalist, guitarist and chief songwriter, said a lot of the album's naturalness and intimacy is due to where it was recorded.

"We did it in five days in an A-frame cabin in the middle of the woods in Pennsylvania with all this natural reverb and natural sound," he said. "You can hear birds throughout, and you'll hear the floorboards creak at times."

It was a focused woodland retreat for the Speedbumps and their producer-engineer Jay Alton, a 27-year-old from Columbus. "We stayed there, completely detached from our worlds. We did this record in one place and time," he said. "I feel the album is a reflection of this experience."

"The Harbors We Seek" will be released Nov. 29 (Black Friday) at all the download outlets. Hard copies will be available at the band's celebratory Kent Stage concert that night.

The Speedbumps — whose lineup includes 1997 St. Thomas Aquinas High School graduate Patrick Hawkins on drums — played a collaborative concert in 2012 with the Canton Symphony Orchestra at the Palace Theatre. The band also has performed here at Panini's, Jerzee's and Fedeli.

About his songs on the new album, Urycki said, "A lot of it pertains to the human condition. It definitely tugs at the strings of the human heart. During the writing process, people close to us passed on, so there's some somberness in it. It's all over the place."

"High Thread Count Suits," which has a reggae flavor, was inspired by the 2012 campaigns, "when the only thing on TV and radio were political ads," Urycki said. "I never felt so disconnected from our leaders. I just got fed up." The blues-tinged "Breakdown" is "about turning 30 and freaking out about it," he said. "It's for people post-college, pre-grownup. That's where we all are."

Urycki said there's a strong chance that the upcoming Kent Stage concert will feature the entire album: "Some of these songs we've been testing out over the past year, some we have never played live."

"The Kent Stage, that's our home," he said fondly. "Sonically, it's perfect if you want to hear the layers of a band like us. Even if the Speedbumps ended up being this huge band, Black Keys level, we would still do shows at the Kent Stage. It is the best place for us."

The Speedbumps' sound often is compared to Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson and John Mayer. While Urycki is fine with this, he names as his favorite songwriters Paul Simon, Ryan Adams, Nick Drake, Ray LaMontagne, Alexi Murdoch and Amos Lee. "I've always been a fan of Glen Hanford," he said. "When you talk about the feelings of a song predicated on emotion, he's a direct influence on the Speedbumps in that way."

Page 2 of 2 - The Speedbumps' direct and unadorned new disc is a source of obvious pride for Urycki. "What you lose in technicality, you gain back in emotion," he said. "A lot of music listeners can't put their finger on it, but that's what they're attracted to. Authenticity."

Tickets for the Speedbumps Kent Stage show Nov. 29 are $10 at www.kentstage.com. To sample music and videos, visit www.thespeedbumps.com.